Untalan, Karen D 11/11/11 BSN223 Latosa Population Demographics:

Prof.

Irene

As of 2004, the Philippines population aged 60 years old and above totaled 5,705,591 (5.7 million older persons). This is equivalent to about 6.9 percent of the total Filipino population. Currently, the Philippines is ranked 5th among Southeast Asian countries with a high annual population growth rate. The 2000 Census of Population and Housing reported a total of 4.6 million elderly persons accounted for almost 6 percent of the Philippine population, a marked increase of 22.18 percent from the 3.7 million elderly persons in 1995. This yields an average annual population growth rate of 4.39 percent from 1995 to 2000, as compared to the growth rate of 3.06 percent from 1990 to 1995. It is estimated that the number of older persons will further increase to 7 million in 2010 and twice as much in about 16 years if the 4.39 percent growth rate persists. (Special Report on Senior Citizens [SRSC], NSO) Sex Ratio - Of the 4.6 million older persons in 2000, 54.1 percent (2.5 million) were female. This translates into a sex ratio of 84.8 or 85 males for every 100 female senior citizens. Female senior citizens outnumber males in all age groups with the biggest gap in the 80 years and over age group. Marital Status - Of the household population 60 years old and over, 60.4 percent were married, 30.0 percent were widowed and only 5.0 percent were reported single. Another 1.2 percent were either divorced or separated and 2.8 percent were in other marital arrangements. Educational Attainment - Approximately, 42.84 percent of older persons completed only elementary education, (45.08% male and 40.60% female) while, 2.275% only had pre-school education (2.35% male and 2.20% female). 28.35% of older persons completed high school (27% male and 28.75% female) whereas, 5.845% of older persons did not finish high school (5.97% male and 5.72% female). 10.135% of older persons were college undergraduates (9.76% male and 10.51% female); and 5.72% obtained academic degree (5.62% male and 5.82% female. It appears that among the older people (60 years old and above), more men (96.75%) than women (93.60%) were

considered literate and about 5.545% of them had no education (6.04% male and 5.05% female).

Economic Status and Income Security:

Fifty-seven percent of elderly people were gainful workers in 2000. A majority of gainful older persons (41 percent) were involved in primary economic activities such as farming, forestry work and fishing, while 10 percent were laborers and unskilled workers. Senior citizens constituted 13.77 percent of the total farmers, forestry workers or fishermen, and 6 percent of the total laborers and unskilled workers. In terms of class, 52.5 percent of the gainfully employed older persons worked without pay in their own family-operated farms or businesses, while 20.6 percent were self-employed without any paid workers, such as in the NCR. Based on DSWD estimates, the proportion of poor elderly persons in the Philippines at 2000 vis--vis the total number of older persons was at 31.4 percent. Despite this number, the percentage of poor older persons in the Philippines was still less than the national poverty incidence of 34 percent.

Morbidity and Disability:

The elderly population suffers both degenerative and communicable diseases due to the ageing of the bodys immune system. The leading causes of morbidity are infectious in nature (Philippine Health Statistics, 2000), while visual impairment, difficulty in walking, chewing, hearing, osteoporosis, arthritis and incontinence are among other common healthrelated problems affecting this population. Based on the 2000 Census of Population, 329 thousand senior citizens had disabilities. Disabled males constituted 31.31 percent while disabled females constituted 38.52 percent of the total senior citizen population. Disabilities and impairment in function increase with age and adversely affect the quality of life of older persons.

Mortality:
Older persons account for 49.1 percent of all deaths in the Philippines. The mortality rate among older persons ranges from double to 12 times that for all age groups. The leading causes of death are noncommunicable diseases: cardiovascular (66 percent), pneumonia (65 percent), peptic ulcer

and gastro-intestinal disorders (56 percent), diabetes mellitus (52 percent) and tuberculosis (51 percent). However, data show that Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) caused death among older persons more than other age groups at 70 percent. The percentage of elderly people dying of malignancies, kidney diseases and septicemia are also significant, while death from accidents is only one-tenth that for all age groups (Table 1). (Philippine Health Statistics, 2000)

Table 1. Leading Causes of Death Among Older Persons Aged 60 Years and Above Philippines, 2000